The Curious Garden Book Review

By Peter Brown

Book Summary: Liam lives in a gloomy, depressing city where nothing grows, and people stay inside. Liam finds a patch of wildflowers high above the city on an abandoned railway during his daily walk. "When he took a closer look, it became clear that the plants were dying. They needed a gardener." Liam decides he can help. "The flowers nearly drowned and he had a few pruning problems, but the plants patiently waited while Liam found better ways of gardening." As wildflowers often do, they begin to spread. They transform the dreary city into a beautiful city of color.

Book Review: The Curious Garden starts out much like the garden itself, dying for light and happiness. It doesn't take long to find hope in the little patch of dying wildflowers. Excitement follows as Liam learns to grow the garden. The painted pictures highlight the transformation from dreary to cheery. Dark, muted pictures depict a sad city and a bored Liam. As the garden grows, so does the color. Liam's gray coat is replaced by bright shirts. The hazy gray sky becomes blue. This is a beautiful story that, without preaching, shows children what can be accomplished with a little effort.

Interest Level: Pre-K - 3
AR Level: 4.4 (.5 points)
Lexile Level: AD840L

Profanity:
None

Potentially Inappropriate References:
None

Potentially Inappropriate Behaviors:
None

Parental Concern Rating:
0 (scale 0-5)